Plenty at stake for Gardner, Oakmont

When Gardner and Oakmont Regional get together for the 33rd time Thursday morning, there is plenty on the line before they sit down to turkey and stuffing.

For the Wildcats, there's a bit of school pride and the chance to extend their winning streak against their holiday rival. The Spartans have their school pride too, of course, but with a little bit of help Oakmont could also be battling for a playoff spot. It just might have to do so without its star wingback.

An Oakmont triumph on Thursday -- paired with a Marlboro win over Hudson and West Boylston beating Quabbin Regional -- should be enough to propel the Spartans into the Division 3 playoffs.

But there's no looking ahead in Ashburnham. Up first is the traditional Thanksgiving battle with Gardner, which will host Thursday's game at 10 a.m. and has cut Oakmont all-time record to 21-11 in the series after the Wildcats won the past two holiday match-ups.

Yet there is a bit of a question mark surrounding Jacob Zagwyn, the Spartan (4-6) wingback who has been known to slice, dice and julienne opposing defenses with superhuman regularity. Zagwyn suffered a broken wrist on the second play from scrimmage of Oakmont's recent match-up with Groton-Dunstable.

As of late last week, Oakmont head coach Dave LaRoche wasn't ready to deem Zagwyn fit for action. If need be, Chad L'Ecuyer will fill the void.

"Chad's played well this year, and he's been a spark for us," LaRoche said.

"There's pros and cons with this. If you have bumps and bruises, having the previous week off helps in your favor. If you're playing well, you just want to get to Thanksgiving."

"(A short week) certainly keeps them sharp," LaRoche said.

Dubzinski acknowledged that if Zagwyn plays, he's difficult to stop. But shutting down Oakmont's double wing offense could be the key to victory.

"He's a very good player and very impressive from what we've seen," Dubzinski said. "(Quarterback Derrick) Andrews throws the ball very well and runs it well, too. They're very capable with distance, and that's a concern. We have to stay with our assignments and not assume we've stopped them."

"Derrick Andrews is capable of having a good game, and we have the ability to throw the ball along with run," LaRoche said, noting Trevor Brown, Camden Brown and AJ Allard have caught several passes for the Spartans.

Gardner also has several offensive threats, including quarterback Andrew Guay and running back Brandon Williams.

"Over the course of the year Andy Guay has improved. Brandon Williams has done a great job for us offensively and defensively and with leadership. Hopefully the improvement will continue," Dubzinski said.

"We have to play good team defense and have three or four kids hitting them," LaRoche said. "(Gardner's) not as talented as last year's team, but they're still good. They pass a few times a game, so I think it's in our favor that they run the ball. Our defensive line has to play well, our linebackers and our defensive backs have to provide support."

Dubzinski noted that the Gardner staff is very familiar with the Spartans, as the two squads play a similar schedule and it's not out of the ordinary to see Wildcat coaches at an Oakmont game scouting the opposition on any given night.

Even though they're there to keep an eye on Oakmont's opponents, they obviously also track what the Spartans are doing.

"We don't go to the concession stand when (Oakmont has) the ball," Dubzinski joked before waxing poetic about the rivalry. "It's a neighborhood rivalry, a healthy rivalry. There's no trash talking or anything like that. There's familiarity and respect between the programs."

"I was fortunate to be a part of the initial game in 1980," LaRoche said, "and it's pretty much a friendly rivalry. It's been interconnected: I have two coaches that have played in it, one from Gardner and one from Oakmont. It's unique, being four miles apart. A couple of pros have come out of it: Shawn Halloran, John Griffin just re-signed with the Jets, Jacques Cesaire. We've played it in snow, fog, ice. And when you go to Gardner, you have that north wind blowing at you. It's a classic."

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